David called upon the Lord’s strength to resist sin. He relied upon the Lord to protect him from his enemies. He was desperate for the Lord’s presence on a daily basis to maintain the authority given him as king. He found courage from God to be the leader he was. Although he never used the word grace, he was living in its power as he carried on the duties as king and spiritual leader of the nation.

Grace is God giving us the strength and power to do what He wants us to do. We don’t find it from within our own resources or human persona. We find it in His Word, in His presence through prayer, and in His victory through praise.

Hallelujah! Thine the Glory. Revive us again.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 141-145

The Psalmist declared, “Let my (musical) hand forget its cunning and let me refrain from singing if I don’t make pleasing God my first priority. He turned his back on a big recording contract, a concert tour, flattering articles written about him in popular magazines, and a tee-shirt collection with his picture on it. Seriously, he esteemed ministry to the Lord the highest calling. He would not stoop to the practices of self-promotion, profiting off the talent the Lord had given him.

To minister to God IS the highest calling and honor. When the Lord opens our eyes to see how great He is, why would we want anything lower.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 137-140

God’s greatness is revealed through our praise. We declare to our generation that God is great. We make His faithfulness known by acts of praise.

My mind goes back to many occasions when I would take church choirs and musicians to the mall at Christmas. When so many shoppers were scurrying around, they would be confronted by a bunch of Christians from a church with a praise program of Christmas music. We did it because the Lord deserves it. In a moment of hearing the sound of praise, we were believing that the lives of the shoppers would be touched and drawn to the Lord by what they saw and heard.

God wants us to be bold and vocal to our generation about how great He is. Look for opportunities to give Him praise.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 131-136

The Psalms of Ascent (120-134) speak to the New Testament Christian of the benefits of going to church and belonging to the family of God. Church is our filling station. It’s family time with God’s people. Eternal relationships are built. Corporate praise gives God the glory due unto his name. Needs are expressed and prayed for. The opportunity to pay your tithe is presented. News of what God is doing around the world is shared. Occasionally, the family of God will gather to share food (church covered dish meals are the BEST) and have joyful fellowship. Above all, it’s a time for all to hear teaching and preaching from God’s Word.

Teach your children to go to church.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 120-130

A fruitful spiritual exercise is to read or listen to Ps. 119 and put yourself in the drivers seat. Place yourself in the equation whenever the Psalmist says, “I.”

God’s Word is meant to be personalized. As we receive it and apply it to our lives, God’s power and Spirit begin working. Granted, it’s a challenge to live up to its standards and principles, but the most fruitful life can ONLY BE ACHIEVED when we apply it to our lives.

The Christian’s benchmark is not Hollywood, Washington, the gym, the museum or any other earthly institution … it’s living according to “All that is written therein.” {Josh. 1:8]

READ/HEAR: Ps. 119

Ps. 118 is prophetic of Jesus, God’s strong hand, the stone the builders rejected, He Who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Psalmist makes the statement, “I shall not die but live, and proclaim what the Lord has done.” His life was spared for a purpose.

This phrase strikes near to me. I was diagnosed with cancer of the blood plasma cells in 2012. I am still here, alive and able to proclaim what the Lord has done for me. I hold on to that promise so that I might continue to do the Lord’s will here on earth. I am ready to meet the Lord, should he take me, but I don’t want to leave before I accomplish all He wants me to do. For me to live is Christ … still able to be a witness for Him to those who are living … and to die would be gain … to be WITH the Lord in Heaven, enjoying the rewards of a life lived for His purposes.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 116-118

FLOURISH: to grow and develop in a healthy and vigorous way.

The Psalmist stated that God can cause your children to flourish. We normally think of this word in relation to plants. Albeit similar, it’s a good word to describe what we can count on when raising children. Christian parents provide good soil for growth in a home that honors the Lord and places His Word above every other influence. They water their children with words of faith and sober encouragement and guard against evil influences that can choke out their spiritual life. They teach their children truths of eternal value rather than temporal rewards. They cultivate a trust in God and His power rather than self and human strategies.

Jesus said a wise man builds his house(hold) upon the rock. Jesus is THE ROCK.

READ/HEAR: Ps. 110-115

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE! You have certainly flourished and make your parents proud.

Fighting crises with human tactics is worthless. When great troubles come, a wise and Godly man will resort to prayer. He knows that men’s help is vain, but God’s help can completely turn the tables.

David declared, in the midst of his torment from accusers, “I am a man of prayer.” Since men turned upon him, he knew his recourse was to cry out to God for help. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”

God wants us to call upon Him in our distress, but He would prefer that we maintain a daily walk and intimacy with Him so He could lead us in paths of righteousness.

READ/HEAR:  Ps. 107-109

The Psalmist tells the story of the sufferings of Joseph who was ordained of God to be a deliverer of his people. Such a contradiction. It must have been difficult for him to endure the tricks of the enemy to discredit him and dissuade him from serving God. Nevertheless, he persisted in applying his energies to doing what was right to maintain his integrity.

His day of promotion and vindication finally came. Everyone then knew of the favor and grace God had gifted him with as they witnessed how he spared the nation of Egypt from the devastation the drought would have inflicted. Thank God he didn’t succumb to the enemy’s devices. ONLY through the help the Lord gave him did he endure and succeed.

READ/HEAR:  Ps. 105,106

It appears that the greatest gift I can give my descendants comes from my faith in God. The Psalmist clarifies:

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;  [Ps. 103:17]